SpeechTherapyIdeas.

com

Describing
Basic Set

This basic set includes:

Instructions and activities for teaching children to describe
Pictures from various categories to use in activities (60)
Prompting signs to hang (4)
Prompting cards
Touch adjectives cards
Describe It game answer sheet
The prompting and adjective cards are formatted to print on standard
perforated business card paper for easy print-and-go convenience. You
can also print them on paper or cardstock and then simply cut them apart.

2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP

SpeechTherapyIdeas.com

Teaching Children to Describe

Importance of describing
Describing with details allows a child to be specific about the different attributes of an
item. This can help with comparing and contrasting and can also be carried over into
using details when writing. If a child has difficulty with word recall, being able to
describe what he/she is trying to say can be very beneficial. I have also noticed an
increase in students vocabularies after working on describing, particularly with
adjectives.
How to teach describing
Although describing is an expressive language skill, the concept can initially be
introduced using receptive tasks. Describing has its basis in categorizing. If the student
is not able to expressively name general categories, then you should start by teaching
categories.
Basic steps:
1. Identifying items by their attributes (receptive)
2. Naming attributes of items (expressive)
A note about materials You will want pictures of various items when working on
describing. These can be illustrations or photographs. I have included some line
drawings that can be printed and, if desired, colored. The Original Memory Game
also has pictures from a variety of categories that work well, particularly with younger
children. For photographs, you can cut pictures out of magazines or old calendars or
print your own photos.
Step 1: Identifying items by their attributes
At the simplest level, identifying the attributes of items is really just grouping items that
go together. To teach this, place a few pictures on the table and then have the child or
children find the ones that go in the group that you describe. For example, tell the child
to give you all of the pictures that are food. After success with that, place the cards
back on the table and have the child give you all of the things that have yellow on them.
Continue naming different features a few more times. Point out to the child or children
that some of the items belonged in more than one group (e.g., The banana is a food
and is yellow). Once the child has become more aware of the attributes of items, you
can practice with the following game.
During this game, check that the child understands the vocabulary that you are using
(e.g., tools, transportation/vehicles, noisy, rough, smooth). For each new word, explain
what it means and show the child examples of pictures that fit that word. Revisit it later,
and let the child find the pictures that have that feature.
Narrow It Down Game (receptive)
Variation 1: Lay out many cards face up in a grid pattern. Hide a small piece of
paper with a sticker on it under a picture without the student(s) seeing. Give clues
(attributes) about the picture its under and have the student(s) remove the ones that
2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP
SpeechTherapyIdeas.com

dont fit the description, therefore narrowing down the remaining choices. Keep
going until the picture with the sticker is found.
Variation 2: Have a student hide a piece of paper or sticker under a picture without
you seeing. Then ask the student attribute questions about the chosen picture (e.g.,
Is it a food?). If the student says no, then remove all of the pictures that fit the
attribute you named. If the answer is yes, then remove the pictures that dont fit the
description you gave. Keep asking questions until the picture with the sticker is
found.
Step 2: Naming attributes of items
It is easier for children to answer questions about an item than to spontaneously
describe an item. So, I start by giving them some questions to help them think about
the many attributes an item may have. Print out and hang the signs that I have included
and give the students the individual cards to use as a reference at their desks. Discuss
examples of answers for the questions.
1. Category- What category or group is it in? Is there a subcategory? Examples:
animals (jungle, farm), transportation (land, water), food (fruit, vegetable, meat)
2. Function- What does it do? What do you use it for? Examples: holds things,
bangs nails, tells time, makes noise
3. Senses- What does it look like? Examples: its color, size, shape
What does it sound like? Examples: a specific sound, loud/quiet
What does it taste like? Examples: sweet, sour, bitter
What does it feel like? Examples: hard, soft, rough, smooth, squishy
What does it smell like? Examples: sweet, fragrant, foul
4. Parts- What parts does it have? Examples: petals, stem, leaves
(I have found that listing an items unique parts is very difficult for those children with
limited vocabularies. Use these opportunities to build their vocabularies.)
Once you have gone over the questions and come up with examples, it is time to start
describing! Have some pictures of items or find things around the room to describe.
Begin by going through the questions one at a time together, helping give specific
attributes. If you are working with a group, have the children take turns giving attributes
out loud. They can be great models for each other.
Games and activities for describing (expressive)
Sensory Exploration Print out the touch adjectives cards that I have included.
Place objects that fit those categories into a box or bag that the children cannot see in.
Have the children reach into it, feel an object, and tell which adjective(s) describes how
it feels. After that, the child pulls the item out and shows it to you and the group. You
can discuss the adjective(s) the child picked and offer other suggestions if needed.

2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP

SpeechTherapyIdeas.com

Guessing Game Give the child a picture and have him/her go through the questions
listed above, describing the item. Try to guess the object or have the group guess.
When the child is able to give attributes easily, start removing some of the question
cues until they are no longer needed.
Describe It Present a picture and have students write down all of the attributes they
can think of about the item. You can set a time limit if you want. Go around and have
the students read their lists out loud. You can give points for every attribute given or
only give points for unique answers (i.e., the only student to put that answer down).
Discuss which words are general descriptors and which words are very specific.
Barrier Game Put a barrier up between you and the child with identical sets of
materials on each side. Have the child build something one piece at a time and tell you
what to do. Some examples are putting together Mr. Potato Heads or putting together
the faces of Jack-o-lanterns (see link below for printable pages). Make sure there are
similar items that have different attributes (e.g., different kinds of eyes, different colored
hats). If the child does not give specific enough instructions, give a prompt for
clarification. For example, if the child says, Put on the hat, you could ask, Which
hat? or, more specifically, Do you mean the hat that is yellow or green?. When you
are finished, take down the barrier and compare your items.
Jack-o-lantern printable pages: Visit the site below and scroll down to Design your own
Pumpkin Faces. I suggest printing the eyes, nose, and mouth pages in black and white
and then coloring them in different colors. Remember to make identical sets of pieces if
you are using this as a barrier game. For materials that will last even longer, consider
laminating the pieces and putting pieces of Velcro on the pumpkin and on the back of
your face pieces.
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/Halloween/mpumpkinfaces.htm
Guess Who? Game In this great game, children ask questions using attributes to
figure out who their opponents person is. They ask questions such as Does your
person have blonde hair? or Is your person wearing glasses?. Once they have it
narrowed down to only a few people, they have to figure out what differentiates them
from each other in order to ask a good question (e.g., the people left are men with black
hair and mustaches, but their noses are different sizes).

2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP

SpeechTherapyIdeas.com

bat

chick

butterfly

Snail

turtle

spider

sheep

crab

starfish

snake

shark

jet

skateboard

stroller

spaceship

chair

bed

couch

mouth

foot

2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP

SpeechTherapyIdeas.com

teeth

cloud

rain

umbrella

dress

jacket

bathing suit

pants

cherries

grapes

orange

plum

cake

chocolate bar

ice cream

milkshake

cola

juice

milk

tea

2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP

SpeechTherapyIdeas.com

tree

bush

plant

rose

blocks

beachball

bubbles

drums

soap

bathtub

toothpaste

sponge

snowman

clown

mother

girl

campfire

marshmallow

flashlight

grill

2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP

SpeechTherapyIdeas.com

sports
planets
vehicles
tools
animals
games

Categories
plants
months
clothes
food
toys
instruments

What does it do?

Function
What do you use it for?

What does it sound like?

What does it look like?

Senses
What does it smell like?

What does it taste like?

What does it feel like?

What parts does it have?

stem, petal, leaf

Parts
What parts make it unique?
wool
trunk, tusks
forked tongue

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

1. Category- What category is it in? Is there a

subcategory?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

2. Function- What does it do? What do you

use it for?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

3. Senses- What does it look, sound, taste,

feel, and smell like?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

4. Parts- What parts does it have?

2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP

SpeechTherapyIdeas.com

bumpy

soft

squishy

smooth

rough

cold

warm

prickly

fuzzy

slippery

2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP

SpeechTherapyIdeas.com

Describe It
Item 1

Item 2

Item 3

1. _______________
2. _______________
3. _______________
4. _______________
5. _______________
6. _______________
7. _______________
8. _______________
9. _______________
10. ______________
11. ______________
12. ______________
13. ______________
14. ______________
15. ______________

1. _______________
2. _______________
3. _______________
4. _______________
5. _______________
6. _______________
7. _______________
8. _______________
9. _______________
10. ______________
11. ______________
12. ______________
13. ______________
14. ______________
15. ______________

1. _______________
2. _______________
3. _______________
4. _______________
5. _______________
6. _______________
7. _______________
8. _______________
9. _______________
10. ______________
11. ______________
12. ______________
13. ______________
14. ______________
15. ______________

2009 Rebecca Wanca, M.S., CCC-SLP

SpeechTherapyIdeas.com